Whole Wheat Pasta: The Taste Test

As research for my article on whole wheat pasta in today's Times, I conducted a casual whole-wheat pasta tasting at my home to try and determine the best supermarket brands, and (spoiler alert!) some of the results are pretty dire.

All the pastas were boiled separately in salted water according to package directions, then served hot without sauce. For the tasting, I was joined by Samantha Storey, an editor of the Dining section; Anna Klinger, chef and a co-owner of Al di Là in Park Slope, Brooklyn; and Emma Hearst, chef and a co-owner of Sorella on the Lower East Side of Manhattan.

Pastas are ranked in order of preference.

Bionaturae 100 percent Organic Whole-Wheat Spaghetti

Both the texture and the clean, nutty, subtle wheat flavor far exceeded the other brands ($3.19 for 16 ounces; 6 grams of fiber).

Garofalo Whole-Wheat Spaghetti

“Tastes like Grape-Nuts,” Ms. Hearst said, or like whole-wheat toast. The texture was pleasantly rough, with good bite ($2.19 for 16 ounces; 4 grams of fiber).

Gia Russa Whole-Wheat Fettuccine 

Gentle, honey-like flavor; smooth and slippery, but lacking elasticity. “Kid pasta,” Ms. Klinger said ($2.99 for 16 ounces; 5 grams of fiber).

Wild Harvest Organic Whole-Wheat Spaghetti

Bland, floury, grainy and coarse ($1.59 for 12 ounces; 5 grams of fiber).

DeBoles Whole-Wheat Spaghetti-Style Pasta

Bitter aftertaste; a vaguely fermented flavor; starchy; grainy ($1.79 for 8 ounces; 5 grams of fiber).

De Cecco Enriched Whole-Wheat Spaghetti

Mildly nutty flavor, not bitter, very wheaty. Very rough and gritty; starchy, too ($2.99 for 17.5 ounces; 7 grams of fiber).

Ronzoni Healthy Harvest Whole-Grain Spaghetti

Washed-out, cardboard-like flavor; too firm in the center; mushy and paste-like outside ($2.18 for 13.25 ounces; 6 grams of fiber).

Barilla Whole-Grain Spaghetti

Bitter, with a metallic aftertaste; gluey, starchy and very gritty. “They should stop making this now,” Ms. Hearst said ($1.59 for 13.5 ounces; 6 grams of fiber).

The photo above is courtesy Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times

Comments

[Suvir Saran]

Was there a reason to just test Spaghetti? Or single out that shape for testing whole wheat pasta?

Would you mind doing a similar test around other shapes?

What about legume pastas?

Bitter is not too bad for many. Especially if from Eastern Mediterranean or farther East still. We enjoy that to complement the other flavors we bring into our food. Metallic is another story...

Thanks for this wonderful piece.

Suvir

[ACW]

$3.19 a pound! Must be nice to make the pay you make at the NYT. At that price, I want to either drive it or live in it.

[villainx]

I've been wondering about this for a while. What's the whole wheat pasta situation like in, say, Europe and Italy specifically? Is it some thing new or developing, avoided, or popular if not exactly widespread. At home and in professional kitchens.

In NY, while it seems whole wheat is getting more popular at home, I hardly ever see it in restaurants, pretty much never in Italian restaurants, outside of the health/organic oriented ones. Think that'll change?

[Jennifer @ Evolving Well Health Coaching]

You actually got me thinking after reading this that most people's experience of that 'horrible' whole wheat pasta may be the result of trying these lower quality brands. No wonder they don't like whole wheat pasta and have a difficult time switching. I've heard that spelt pasta is actually a good bridge between semolina and whole wheat pasta, though I've never had it (found out I was gluten intolerant before ever learning of Spelt pasta). I will share this though on my facebook page...I think its worth considering the quality of the whole wheat pasta before actually deciding that you do not like it.

[rachel]

Garofalo's Whole-Wheat Spaghetti (the only variety of whole wheat pasta I've come to prefer over regular pasta) is also sold at Costco for a better price!

[Bucktownsweetie]

This is a very descriptive and enlightening critique of the various brands of wheat pasta out there. I find it helpful to write a piece on the differences in the tastes and textures of the wheat pastas available out there especially because many are hesitant to try it simply for those two variables.

The preconceived notion is that wheat pasta is a bit firmer and has a more overbearing flavor than its semolina opposite.

However, I was delighted to hear that a family member of mine had an appetizing experience with the Hodgson Mill brand of wheat pasta. Hodgson Mill also produces pancake batter, flour and other items. And they have varieties of pasta such as lasagna, angel hair, penne and rigatoni as well as others.

I tried the angel hair with some baked chicken that I had the other night.
I decided to make baked macaroni. The pasta cooked quickly and was not as firm as would be expected. Also the flavor was quite mild. The price did not lighten my pockets too much. I recommend trying that brand. Much more pleasant than the others I have tried previously.

[Domy0000]

dear Melissa, Please have you a mail contact that you can send to me to receive new press reliase from a New premium Italian pasta company? (my personal mail address is domy0000@gmail.com).
I don't want to live here the name of the company or my work mail address.. I hate the spam).

Have nice day.
Dome

ps: anyway This is a really good post!

[Melissa]

Bucktownsweetie- I'll look for Hodgson Mill, thanks, haven't seen it but maybe I can find it online.

Rachel - Good to know about Costco - i never go but my parents do and I'll ask them to take a look!

Jennifer- Spelt is a good gateway pasta, you're right. Farro too!

Villianx- I don't know if people will start serving wh wh pasta in restaurants but i have seen farro pasta in some place.

Thanks Suvir, good to see you here.

[Brad Yokman]

I agree 100% about the Hodgson Mill brand Pasta. Along with the Whole Wheat they have Organic Whole Wheat with Milled Flax Seed and Gluten Free Whole Grain Brown Rice with Milled Flax Seed. I don't buy any other brand any more!!!

[CookiePie]

I find tests like these so helpful - thanks! I've really enjoyed Bionaturae's products too. Good to know my tastes are in line with the experts!

[Kristin Donnelly]

Hi Melissa! I'd be curious what you thought of the Barilla Plus, which includes other grains and seeds as opposed to the whole grain. I always find it has a better texture than most straight whole wheat pastas.

[Melissa]

Hi Kristin! I actually didn't try the plus, is it good?

[Roze]

Hi Melissa,
Love your columns and this was good. I completely avoid WW pasta because my first experience years ago was with DeBoles and I found it too strong with a heavy mouth feel. Just didn't like it!
Maybe they've improved. I'll have to try them again instead of getting my fiber elsewhere.

[The Italian Dish]

Melissa: Great column! We eat a lot of pasta and I just can't get my family to like whole wheat pasta. The only whole grain pasta I can sneak by them is Barilla Plus, which I actually really like. It is whole grain pasta with legume flower added. It has a lot of protein. It has 4 grams of fiber per serving. I like the texture of it better than most whole wheat and my family will eat it.

[The Italian Dish]

Whoops. Not "flower", flour. Geesh.

[Kathleen]

We are fans of the Bionaturae Gluten Free pasta line. I will have to try their whole wheat based on your review. We also make the Barilla Plus quite a bit because it has more protein and uses a mix of legume and grain flours. Too bad their whole wheat line is a disaster. My kids are pretty picky so I try to mix up the grains as much as I can. Thanks for the article.

[Liz]

Have you tried Whole Foods' brand? Their whole wheat pasts is very nice. At around $1.69/pound, it's pretty economical too.

[Marina]

Hello Melissa, Great article and recipes. Thank you. I am a Private Chef in NYC I specialize in Gluten Free and Dietary needs. I make a real great Quinoa pasta that is low in Carb high in protein for those clients of mine that are not only Gluten Free but also have Diabetes so they have been looking for High protein good tasting pasta with no wheat products. I would love to send you a sample of this pasta.

[Suvir Saran]

Barilla Plus pastas are terrific. Affordable. Accessible. Pioneer in their availability across the US. It is easy to sit in NYC and the West Coast and compare options. In way too many small town across America, such options are not even available, let alone be open for discussion.

Barilla Plus has helped me bring healthier, almost-as-tasty options to people in remote parts of the country. They are grateful for this and I am too. In my remote outpost of Northern Upstate NY, I am thrilled to find Barilla Plus and now other copy-cat versions of their better pastas littered in the aisles. My partner Charlie requested the addition of this variety and now it seems many locals are also buying them. Change is happening.

Barilla Plus is even better than plain ole whole wheat because of its overall fiber content and other nutritional gifts. I hope more people become familiar with it and soon start doing taste panels around legume and bean and other whole grain pastas with a lower glycemic index.

Thanks Kristin for adding this to the conversation here.

Melissa, thanks for the great photos and writing. How could I not be here. I only wish I had more time each day to peruse websites and chat on them.

[Melissa]

Liz- I haven't tried Whole Foods brand but it's on my list, thanks!

Also thanks everyone, for the suggestion, I will try Barilla Plus, I have it in the house. I'm a little leery of the bean flours in it but will give it a go.

[Susan Hagen]

I have made the transition to whole grain bread and brown rice but I have always loathed whole wheat pasta. I've tried the Barilla high protein kind and hated it too. I tried the Bionaturae whole wheat pasta last night and it was good, actually good! If you close your eyes so you don’t see the color you could mistake it for white pasta. Not gritty, not gummy. It is substantial. I couldn’t quite finish a reasonable sized portion. Best of all, my usual grocery store carries it. Thank you.

[Autumn]

I LOVE pasta, so the whole wheat ones let me indulge without feeling quite so bad.

We use mostly the costco whole wheat spaghetti. I have overall the leftovers have a more semolina texture (lighter,softer) the next day compared to eating the food "fresh" Don't know how that works out, but my not quite pad thai was better the next day as leftovers than hot out of the wok, at least considering I was using whole wheat spaghetti instead of rice noodles!

[Chris]

Barilla Plus is not whole wheat. The first ingredient is semolina and it does not contain any whole wheat flour.

[Jonathan Cahill]

l was surprised that no mention was made of Pizzoccheri,a buckwheat pasta that has a long tradition in the Valtellina and makes the eponymous dish. This is more robust than most pasta dishes as it includes potatoes, Savoy cabbage, cheese, butter, garlic and sage. All make for a robust and satisfying dish, much beloved by the mountain folk of the region.

[Russell Wayne]

FYI, Bionaturae is sold at Whole Foods. I tried it as penne in the Penne, Spicy Sausage, Tomatoes, and Olives recipe from last Wednesday's NYT. As Tony the Tiger used to say, "Grrrreat"